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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-05-0003 January 4, 2005
Contact: T. Kim, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Oyster Creek - Issuance of Schedular Exemption on License Renewal Application On December 22, 2004, NRC staff issued a schedular exemption for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OCNGS) allowing the current operating license to remain in effect until the NRC has rendered a final decision on the license renewal application in accordance with the timely renewal provision specified in 10 CFR 2.109(b). The exemption is contingent upon the following conditions being met: (1) on or before July 29, 2005, AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, must submit a sufficient license renewal application for OCNGS which the NRC staff finds acceptable for docketing in accordance with 10 CFR 2.101 and the requirements of 10 CFR Part 54; and (2) AmerGen must provide any requested information as necessary to support the completion of the NRC staff’s safety and environmental reviews in accordance with the review schedule issued by the NRC. On December 16, 2004, NRC staff issued an environmental assessment (EA) associated with the exemption and a press release announcing its plans to issue the exemption. The EA was published in the Federal Register (69 FR 76795) on December 22, 2004. AmerGen had requested the exemption from part of the timely renewal provision that requires a sufficient application for license renewal be submitted at least 5 years prior to the expiration of the existing license on August 10, 2004. The current operating license for OCNGS is due to expire on April 9, 2009, and therefore, AmerGen would had to have filed a sufficient application for license renewal by April 9, 2004, in order to fully comply with the timely renewal provision of 10 CFR 2.109(b). D. C. Cook - Issuance of License Renewal Safety Evaluation Report with Open Items On December 21, 2004, NRC staff issued a safety evaluation report related to the license renewal application for the D. C. Cook, nuclear power plant. The Indiana Michigan Power Company’s application was submitted on October 31, 2003. The staff’s safety evaluation report contains two open items and two confirmatory items. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards New Geophysical and Geodetic Data and Tectonic Interpretations of Yucca Mountain and Vicinity Discussed at American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting During the week of December 13, 2004, NRC staff and representatives of the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses attended sessions on seismology, geodesy, volcanism, and tectonics at the American Geophysical Union meeting held in San Francisco, California. Data on microseismicity, global positioning system locations, seismic P-wave tomography, geophysical anomalies, and buried geologic structures in and around Yucca Mountain were presented. The presenters included: (1) staff from the Department of Energy’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management in Las Vegas; (2) investigators from the University of Nevada-Reno Seismographic Institute; (3) representatives from California Institute of Technology; and (4) representatives from the Smithsonian-Harvard Astronomical Observatory. Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute On December 20, 2004, management from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards met with representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues of mutual interest. These included: (1) establishing systematic and routine communications between the two organizations; (2) gaining a common understanding of the status of Integrated Safety Assessment reviews; and (3) developing a common understanding of the Interim Safety Guidance development process. The participants agreed to another meeting in March 2005. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Completion of First Integrated Chemical Effects Test On December 21, 2004, the first in a series of five integrated chemical effects tests was completed at the University of New Mexico. In a post-LOCA [loss-of-coolant accident] containment sump environment of a pressurized-water reactor, chemical reactions may produce corrosion products and leaching of insulation material, significantly blocking the fiber bed and adversely affecting sump performance by increasing head loss. The purpose of this 30-day integrated chemical effects tests was to determine, characterize, and quantify the chemical reaction products and to identify any gelatinous material that may develop in a representative post-LOCA containment sump environment. Results from this first test are being analyzed to determine whether there were head loss increases due to chemical effects and whether modifications to the testing plan and apparatus are necessary before the next test is initiated. The second integrated chemical effects test is scheduled to start in January 2005. Expert Group for Digital Instrumentation and Control (EGDIC) Meetings From December 15 - 17, 2004, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research staff participated in meetings of the Expert Group for Digital Instrumentation and Control (EGDIC) held under the auspices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) and hosted by the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI). The purpose of the meetings was to develop recommendations to reduce the gap between current CSNI research activities and the needs of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) for additional information and regulatory methodologies. While the research activities discussed mainly included the current CSNI and CNRA program of work and NEA joint safety research projects, activities outside NEA were also discussed to identify areas of potential collaborative research among CSNI and CNRA members. Seven areas of potential research were identified: 1) regulatory requirements and practices; 2) fault tolerance; 3) environmental disturbances; 4) security of computer-based systems; 5) reliability of computer based systems; 6) hardware and software life-cycle management; and 7) mid-term challenges in the field of instrumentation and control. A second meeting of the EGDIC is tentatively planned during the NRC’s Regulatory Information Conference in March 2005. Chief Information Officer Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of December 17 through December 22, 2004
Office of Small Business and Civil Rights Issuance of Comprehensive Diversity Management Plan NRC recently issued its first Comprehensive Diversity Management Plan (Plan). This Plan, which was recently distributed to each NRC employee, represents a structured approach to ensure NRC's continued progress in reaching its diversity management goals, promoting a discrimination-free work environment, and providing opportunities for all employees to use their diverse talents to support the agency's mission. NRC's goal is to build a high-performing, diverse workforce based on mutual acceptance and trust. The Plan provides diversity management implementation strategies and establishes agency-wide goals and measures for evaluating progress. Office of Human Resources
Office of International Programs Japanese Delegation Visit to NRC’s Operations Center A four person delegation from the Japanese Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, Japanese Nuclear Emergency Assistance and Training Center, and Kanagawa University visited the NRC’s Operations Center in Rockville, Maryland on December 17, 2004, for a briefing and tour of the facility. Staff representatives from the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards briefed the delegation on (1) the preparation and flow of public information from the Operations Center to the press/public; and (2) domestic tracking systems of material shipments licensed by NRC, respectively. Office of the Secretary
Region IV Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) - Corporate Management Change On December 15, 2004, PG&E announced that Mr. Peter A. Darbee was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2005. He succeeds Mr. Robert D. Glynn, who will continue as Chairman of the Board through the end of 2005. Office of the Executive Director for Operations Differing Professional View (DPV) - Safety Requirements for a Proposed Mixed-Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility On December 3, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) rendered a decision on an appeal to the Director’s Decision issued by the Director, Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, regarding a DPV on the modeling chemical consequences effects for determining safety requirements for a proposed MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility. On September 21, 2004, an NRC employee had requested that the subject DPV be considered under the Agency’s Differing Professional Opinion (DPO) appeal process. Based on the review of the relevant information and meetings with the involved individuals, the EDO concluded that the followup actions taken by the staff in response to the Director’s Decision and the Action Memorandum were adequate, and therefore, the appeal was denied. |
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